Media Release:

Hands Across The Sand is an international effort planned for this coming Saturday, June 26 in which people are saying NO to Offshore Oil Drilling, YES to Clean Energy Sources, by joining hands and forming lines on beaches all across the globe (see handsacrossthesand.org for details).

The Hilo event is planned for earlier in the day from the other Hawaii sites (Waikiki and Laniakea on Oahu, Hapuna in West Hawaii) because Moku O Hawaii’s Keaukaha Canoe Regatta will be taking place all day long along Hilo’s Bayfront.

Moku O Hawaii OCRA has graciously agreed to join our effort and we’re going to gather at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, on the seashore closest to Pauahi Street in Hilo, with our ceremony taking place at 8 a.m. The event itself is only planned for 15 minutes.

The public is invited to take part…Anybody can join this one-day movement!

The action will be part of a global message being sent to the leaders of the world. We are sending a message to end the use of fossil fuels and take a stand for clean, indigenous, renewable energy resources to secure a sustainable future for Hawai’i.

Hawai’i imports over 40 million barrels of oil each year to power our homes, our cars and bring us our food. We are so dependent on burning fossil fuels that we demand it daily at a cheap price. However, the recent BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has brought international attention to the true cost of our addiction to oil.

It is estimated that over 100,000 barrels of oil are flowing into the Gulf of Mexico every day. Hawaii currently imports about 110,000 barrels of oil every day. If one of our supertankers were to spill off our shores, the environmental and economic damage would be catastrophic.

This situation is real for Hawai’i, and we need to stand together now and end our dependence on imported fossil fuels. We have all of the alternatives we need here in our islands, now we must make a commitment to getting back to our roots and take on a challenge that future generations will be proud of.